Throughout history, women have fought for gender
equality in order to be given the same recognition as men in the work field, in
the eyes of society and most importantly next to the man they spend the rest of
their lives with. Women oppression existed more obviously years ago and
although it is now discreetly still existing, it is brushed under the rug.
Freedom of choice may be a law in the United States but how many follow that
rule in their houses, behind closed doors? Many artists have made political movements
in connection to their personal lives that reflect the notion of oppression due
to cultural differences. For example, Shirin Neshat is a feminist artist whom
explores the ideas of femininity in relation to Islamic fundamentalism and
militancy in her home country in her earliest works. Shirin Neshat was born in Qazvin, Iran, a small city two
hours from Tehran in 1957. In 1974, at the age of seventeen, she was sent to
the United States to complete her education, which was the start to her
rebellion against cultural oppression. In the article, “Iranian Female Artists Unveiled: Robert Adanto's Pearls on the Ocean Floor Screening at the Pacific Design Center, Los Angeles" it
is mentioned:
Most of the artists in Pearls say they make art to
express themselves. One experience they express in common is 'identity theft':
being robbed of Iran and their past, of their rights, of their womanhood, of
modernity, of personal security, of individuality, of color, of music. The
sense of loss is found in their work and in the irresistible naturalness of
their words. "When I was born, the lion and the sun were still part of the
Iranian flag," says Mona Hakimi-Schüler, a German-based artist who was
born in Iran in 1979, the year revolution happened. "That's why the lion
started appearing in my art and I continue using it. It stands for the nation,
the people, and the spirit of Iran."
Shirin
Neshat brings light to her background and the rules that will never be
understood by outsiders. Imagine being told you are not allowed to go to
school, not allowed to have a job, not allowed to dress a certain way, not
allowed to do the things that make you happy, the things that define your
character as a whole, that’s the epitome of oppression. Shirin Neshat’s tactic
of spreading awareness is through video productions, interviews, but most
importantly through conceptual pieces of art.
 |
| Rebellious Silence (1994). B&W RC print & ink, photo by Cynthia Preston. Copyright Shirin Neshat. Courtesy Gladstone Gallery, New York and Brussels. |
This image is immensely powerful. I am able to relate to
her feelings and interpret her message without understanding the printed
letters on her face. The Arabic writing across her face signifies culture,
expectations, and authority.
In
connection to our class discussion, one artist that closely relates to this
idea of women’s oppression is Ghada Amer. Ghada Amer was born in 1963 in Cairo,
Egypt. She expresses her main focus:
For me, the choice to be mainly a painter and to use the codes of abstract painting, as they have been defined historically, is not only an artistic challenge: its main meaning is occupying a territory that has been denied to women historically. I occupy this territory aesthetically and politically because I create materially abstract paintings, but I integrate in this male field a feminine universe: that of sewing and embroidery. By hybridizing those worlds, the canvas becomes a new territory where the feminine has its own place in a field dominated by men, and from where, I hope, we won’t be removed again.
Ghada
Amer incorporates sexual inferences within her images, which is strictly
prohibited in a conservative culture. The topic of sex is only supposed to be
discussed with your significant partner; the act should only be done with one
man. It is looked down upon by society because sex is shameful. It is an
embarrassing topic. Ghada Amer possesses rebellious behavior and is neglected
by her culture for creating art that is revealing. The images below identify
pornographic scenes.
 |
| GHADA AMER
Snow White Without the Dwarves, 2008 Acrylic, embroidery and gel medium on canvas. |
 |
| Ghada Amer. KSKC, 2005. |
“I
believe that all women should like their bodies and use them as tools of
seduction" Amer stated; and in her well-known erotic embroideries, she at
once rejects oppressive laws set in place to govern women's attitudes toward
their bodies and repudiates first-wave feminist theory that the body must be denied
to prevent victimization.
These
artists have inspired me to focus on the oppression women still endure today.
My main emphasis is arranged marriage because it is a topic that revolves
around me. My cousins from Pakistan are arranged with men that their parents
believe are the best “fit” for them. Imagine spending the rest of your life
with a stranger? Granted my parents made it. However, my parents were arranged
and married about 30 years ago. My mom always says she was only given a picture
of my dad. She says she did not get to see him in person until the day of her
wedding. Thirty years later, even in the United States, there are families that
continue relative traditions. For example, revealing clothes such as shorts and
dresses are not allowed regardless of the temperature outside. Women are
expected to get married and cater to her husband; she must wait until she
serves him food before eating. A woman does not only abide by the rules of her
own family, but her husband and his family as well. You begin to live in a
bubble where you follow the expectations of everyone and become someone you are
not; you forget what it is like to be yourself. I created this video to
highlight the life of a married woman who ends up in a religious family.
In
comparison, my sisters and I were born and raised in the United States and our
mentalities are obviously different, we are more open-minded. I personally do
not believe in arranged marriage because I do not think it is fair to allow
someone else to choose the man you “cater” to for the rest of your life. My
video shows the feelings of a woman that is arranged to
a man who imposes restrictions and the mind set of a woman who plans to marry
someone born and raised in the United States within the same culture. My goal
for this media project is to bring awareness to the discreet oppression that
may exist in your neighbor’s household. I believe that artists along with women
who decide to rebel against rules that get in the way of their happiness can be
influential to those younger that may one day have to go through the same experience.
(Please allow video content to load completely first, it's a long interview)
Work Cited:
Chadwick, W. (2007). Women, Art, and Society (4th
ed.,). New York, NY: Thames and Hudson.
Guerrilla Girls. (1998). The Guerrilla Girls' Bedside Companion to the History of Western Art. New York, NY: Penguin Books.
"Shirin
Neshat." Signs Journal of Women in Culture and Society. N.p., 10
Oct. 2012. Web. 18 Apr. 2015.
Afshar,
Mahasti. "Iranian Female Artists Unveiled: Robert Adanto's Pearls on the
Ocean Floor Screening at the Pacific Design Center, Los Angeles." The
Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2015.
"Ghada
Amer - Gagosian Gallery." Ghada Amer - Gagosian Gallery. N.p., n.d.
Web. 18 Apr. 2015.
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